Do you believe that being active can change people’s lives?
Do you want to work on projects that will shape the future of London for the better?
Could you help us improve Londoners’ health and happiness by making the capital a more physically active city?
We want every person and community to experience the enjoyment and benefits that being active can bring and believe their needs, expectations and safety should come first in the design and delivery of activity. That’s why we’re working to support organisations and associations, including National Governing Bodies of Sport, to safeguard children and adults.
A new, national network of Sport Welfare Officers is being created across England to support National Governing Bodies (NGB) and their local clubs to promote good practice and safe sport for children, young people and adults on a local level. In London, we are creating five new roles as part of the national programme. The officers will help support clubs move from welfare compliance to develop effective welfare and inclusive cultures. One of the five officers will also be responsible for management and co-ordination of the project.
We are looking for someone with experience of working in a safeguarding or welfare role; with building relationships, particularly with volunteers in clubs; and engaging with stakeholders to raise awareness, advocate for safe sport, and provide training to upskill the workforce.
The new roles will add capacity and expertise to the existing safeguarding work of NGBs and London Sport. They will help further understand safeguarding in local clubs e.g. how policies and procedures are cascaded and help share good practice, bringing those from different sports together. They will work closely with other Sport Welfare Officers, National Governing Bodies and wider organisations; to connect people working on welfare and safeguarding, both inside and outside sport. The officer will also bring an understanding of diversity of London’s population and how clubs should seek to reflect this.
Sport England’s policy response to The Whyte Review, published with UK Sport in January 2023, included the proposal to fund this professional network of Sport Welfare Officers using National Lottery grants.
London Sport champions equality and is an inclusive organisation that strives to reflect London’s diversity in our appointments. We particularly welcome applications from:
- People from ethnically diverse communities
- Deaf and disabled people
- Women
- Members of the LGBTQ+ community
- People with lived experience of London’s many and varied communities
About You:
QUALIFICATIONS
- A professional or vocational qualification in safeguarding or related subject.
EXPERIENCE
- Worked in a safeguarding or welfare role in relation to children and young people or adults.
- Experience of communicating with the voluntary sector, clubs and organisations through a variety of mechanisms and promotional material, including written, digital and verbal.
- Experience of providing advice and guidance to clubs and organisations regarding effective welfare practices.
- Coordinating and delivering training on welfare related issues to representatives from clubs and organisations.
SKILLS & ABILITIES
- Ability to build successful relationships at a local and subregional level.
- Skills to manage dispute resolution, negotiations and mediations to support resolution of lower-level concerns.
- Networking and connecting people, such as a network of welfare volunteers, and organisations, for example, a welfare officer forum.
- Ability to prioritise areas of work to those needing the most support when demand for support exceeds expectation.
- Ability to use digital technology, (Microsoft 365 applications, such as Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook and forms) to effectively communicate, maintain records and share resources.
- Ability and willingness to travel across the county to visit sports clubs to provide training at various locations and to attend evening and weekend meetings as required.
KNOWLEDGE
- A comprehensive understanding of current safeguarding legislation and guidance within England in respect of both children and adults.
- Knowledge of welfare issues, priorities and policies inside and outside sport.
- Understand the welfare infrastructure inside and outside sport including welfare procedures such as responses to safeguarding concerns and case management thresholds.
- Knowledge of Sport England’s Strategy ‘Uniting the Movement’ and of the role of National Governing Bodies within the sports sector.
Download the recruitment pack here.
If you have any questions regarding the application process, please email [email protected]
